Eastside Promise Neighborhood in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
San Antonio National Cemetery
National Cemetery
San Antonio National Cemetery was established in 1867 on land the city gave to the federal government. The 2-acre parcel occupied a hill about a mile east of the city plaza. By December 1868, the cemetery was enclosed by a limestone wall. Two years later the army constructed a two-room Swiss-style cottage at the main entrance to shelter the cemetery caretaker and store tools.
Symmetrical drives formed two circular areas within the rectangular cemetery. A flagstaff was centered in the east circle, where officers were buried. By 1892, a rostrum occupied the west circle.
In 1874, the cemetery contained 334 graves—one-third of them unknown. U.S. officers who died and were buried elsewhere in San Antonio were reinterred here. So were the remains of soldiers who died at Austin, Indianola, the Medina River vicinity, and Salado.
By July 1878, a Second Empire-style lodge was completed for the superintendent and his family. It was replaced in 1910, The federal government erected a small granite memorial to the unknown dead in Section H in 1912.
One Civil War Medal of Honor recipient is memorialized here: Pvt. William H. Barnes, 38th U.S. Colored Infantry. Though wounded, he was among the first to enter the Confederate earthen works at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, Virginia, September 29, 1864 (Section MA, Grave 86).
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Civil War San Antonio
When Texas became a state in 1845, the annexation treaty transferred all Texas forts to the U.S. Army. In 1848, the army established a small garrison and quartermaster depot at the Alamo, a former Spanish mission. Eleven years later an arsenal was added.
On February 1, 1861, a convention of Texas officials voted to secede from the Union, although a public vote would not be held until spring. Just two weeks after the convention, Texas state cavalry led by Col. Benjamin McCulloch rode into San Antonio. They surrounded Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs, commander of all U.S. troops stationed in Texas, and his garrison.
Twiggs surrendered all federal property in Texas and evacuated 2,700 Union troops at frontier forts scattered throughout the state. San Antonio and its supply depot remained under Confederate control through the war. The U.S. Army returned to the city in 1865.
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Confederate militia accept the surrender of Union Gen. David Twiggs. Harper's Weekly (March 23rd, 1861).
Postcard view of Cemetery, c. 1910, showing many of the private headstones here. National Cemetery Administration.
Cemetery entrance in 1904. On left is the Swiss-style cottage used as an office and Chapel until it was razed in 1945. On right is the Second Empire-style lodge, 1878-1910. National Archives and Records Administration.
Civil War Army Medal of Honor. Gettysburg National Military Park.
Erected by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is February 1, 1861.
Location. 29° 25.28′ N, 98° 28.01′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in the Eastside Promise Neighborhood. Marker can be reached from Paso Hondo west of North Palmetto Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located just past the entrance of the San Antonio National Cemetery on the west side of the cemetery road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 517 Paso Hondo, San Antonio TX 78202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A National Cemetery System (here, next to this marker); Folded Flag Memorial (here, next to this marker); Gettysburg Address (here, next to this marker); Bivouac of the Dead (a few steps from this marker); Captain Lee Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Samuel S. Smith (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles Frederick King (about 300 feet away); To The Unknown Dead (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.
Also see . . .
1. Civil War. The Handbook of Texas (Submitted on December 30, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
2. William H. Barnes (Medal of Honor). At the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, on September 29, 1864, Barnes' regiment was among a division of black troops assigned to attack the center of the Confederate defenses at New Market Heights. Source: Wikipedia (Submitted on December 30, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 197 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 30, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.